Eric Church ended up with the most nominations for this year’s CMA Awards – he’s up for five, including male vocalist, album, single, song, and video. His first-ever CMA nomination was last year, when he was up for New Artist of the Year but was bested by The Band Perry. Eric was shocked by the amount of nominations: “Um, I’m um...truly speechless. I think it’s a testament to really fans that believed in the music and loved the music and told people about the music, otherwise we don’t have really the track record to be the most nominated artist at this point in time in our career for the path that we’ve taken and I think that it’s truly because of the fans.” As for how his songs come together when he’s recording, Eric says it’s pretty organic: “I don’t have a real direction as to what it is—I go in and I play—my producer Jay Joyce—I go in and I play it acoustic for him and the musicians, and then we start hashing it out, you know? We start figuring out what it is, and it takes, you know weeks on a song just trying to figure out what it was.”

Colt Ford is proud as a peacock over Jason Aldean’s CMA nomination for “Dirt Road Anthem,” which Colt co-wrote with Brantley Gilbert. How did Jason come to record the song? Colt explains, “You know, it just turned out that I was opening for him in 2009 and he said, ‘Man, how do all those people know all the words to that song?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know, man, they just seem to really like it.’ So he called me up and said he wanted to try to cut it and of course, I didn’t have a problem with that. Jason’s been a good friend of mine and he grew up the same way I did, so it wasn’t like it was something made up for him. I mean, that was real life for him as well, and it turned out to be the biggest song of his career.”

Kellie Pickler is beautiful, even bald. Don’t believe me? Check out this video of Kellie shaving her head to support her childhood friend Summer Holt Miller. She’s only 36 but is battling breast cancer.

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George Strait will announce a 2013 tour later this month, and apparently he’s got another big announcement, too. Stay tuned…

“Cheers, It’s Christmas” is the title of Blake Shelton’s Christmas album, which is available for pre-orders now. It comes out October 2nd and here’s the track list:

1. “Jingle Bell Rock” (featuring Miranda Lambert)
2. “White Christmas”
3. “Oklahoma Christmas” (featuring Reba)
4. “Let It Snow”
5. “There's A New Kid In Town” (featuring Kelly Clarkson)
6. “Santa's Got A Choo Choo Train”
7. “Home” (featuring Michael Buble)
8. “Winter Wonderland”
9. “The Christmas Song”
10. “Blue Christmas” (featuring The Pistol Annies)
11. “I'll Be Home For Christmas”
12. “Silver Bells” (featuring Xenia Martinez)
13. “Time For Me To Come Home” (featuring Dorothy Shackleford)
14. “The Very Best Time Of Year” (featuring Trypta-Phunk)

Carrie Underwood tops the Billboard Country Album chart this week with “Blown Away,” and she says that she’s inspired by her new music: “It opened the door for the Blown Away album, and for me to be able to play a little bit, which has been a lot of fun. From the song to the album, to putting together a tour, I feel like that song has allowed me to be able to do different things. It’s definitely making the tour be more dramatic and more of a juicy story.”

Luke Bryan has been given a plaque recognizing sales of seven million downloads of songs from his platinum album, “Tailgates & Tanlines.”

Want to see how Lee Ann Womack roughs it? Check out the next issue of People Country magazine – they went along on a road trip with Lee Ann and two of her girlfriends in her 1973 Airstream Land Yacht, which Lee Ann says is “girly, but ‘60’s timeless.” Chandelier in the bedroom? Portable record player? Cornhole? Sounds like a party!

Little Big Town will be on Good Morning America Monday morning.

Here’s the complete list of CMA nominees for your wagering pleasure:

Entertainer of the Year

Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift

Female Vocalist of the Year

Kelly Clarkson
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Male Vocalist of the Year

Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban

Vocal Group of the Year

Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band

Vocal Duo of the Year

Big & Rich
Love and Theft
Sugarland
The Civil Wars
Thompson Square

Musical Event of the Year

“Dixie Highway” – Alan Jackson, Zac Brown
“Feel Like a Rock Star” – Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw
“Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” – Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson
“Safe and Sound” – Taylor Swift, The Civil Wars
“Stuck On You” – Lionel Richie, Darius Rucker

New Artist of the Year

Lee Brice
Brantley Gilbert
Hunter Hayes
Love and Theft
Thompson Square

Single of the Year

“Dirt Road Anthem” – Jason Aldean
“God Gave Me You” – Blake Shelton
“Home” – Dierks Bentley
“Pontoon” – Little Big Town
“Springsteen” – Eric Church

Song of the Year

“Even If It Breaks Your Heart” – Eli Young Band
“God Gave Me You” – Blake Shelton
“Home” – Dierks Bentley
“Over You” – Miranda Lambert
“Springsteen” – Eric Church

Album of the Year

Chief - Eric Church
Four the Record - Miranda Lambert
Home - Dierks Bentley
Own the Night - Lady Antebellum
Tailgates and Tanlines - Luke Bryan

Music Video of the Year

“Come Over” – Kenny Chesney
“Over You” – Miranda Lambert
“Pontoon” – Little Big Town
“Red Solo Cup” – Toby Keith
“Springsteen” – Eric Church

Musician of the Year

Sam Bush (mandolin)
Paul Franklin (steel guitar)
Dann Huff (guitar)
Brent Mason (guitar)
Mac McAnally (guitar)

Taylor Swift’s new single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” is selling so fast that if it keeps up the current pace, it’ll be a gold record by Sunday. Sales of this song rival Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” which came out in 2011. Taylor’s a worldwide superstar, which explains her face on nearly every magazine cover, but she admits she ignores the gossipy ones: “My friends make fun of me because if I see my name somewhere I just click off of it. I just don’t want to see anything that’s inaccurate.” Sounds like a good plan to me!

Carrie Underwood and hubby Mike Fisher just spent some time at Animal Kingdom in Disney World. While there, they had a date night or two, and Carrie says they really value that time: “Not just have dinner, but like sit and talk. We’re one of those annoying couples that like goes to a restaurant and never leaves.”

Keith Urban takes fans on a tour of his favorite places in Nashville – when you’ve got about 5 and a half minutes, check out his Nashville…

Did you catch John Rich on the series premiere of “The Next: Fame is on Your Doorstep” last night on the CW? The show follows John and his fellow mentors Gloria Estefan, Nelly and Joe Jonas as they travel across the country looking for America’s next big singing stars. John loves being part of the show because “I’ve always enjoyed working with new artists and artists that need a little helping hand. I’ve had people help me along the way, so a show like The Next is perfect for a guy like me.” By the way, the next Big and Rich album, Hllbilly Jedi, comes out September18th.

Congratulations to Colt Ford and everyone at Average Joes Records – Colt’s new cd, Independence Day, debuted at #1 on the Billboard country album chart and #4 on the all-genre chart. About the album, Colt says, “This is so personal for me. And it’s me at my best – which is being honest and real and open with the fans. It’s what I’ve always tried to do.” Nice job, Colt and crew! The first single, Colt and Luke Bryan singing “Back,” will have a wild video, apparently. If we can believe Colt’s Facebook post, it’ll be a dance competition, Chippendale style.

Speaking of Jake Owen, his summer EP, Endless Summer, comes out September 25th. According to Jake, “These songs are just a way, that even though the summer is winding down. It’s a way to always have a mix that caters to that feeling of what it feels like when summer rolls around.”

Lynyrd Skynyrd is on FOX & Friends this morning.

Zac Brown Band loves to travel with their mobile kitchen, “Cookie,” a tractor-trailer fitted out for food preparation. Zac himself loves to cook and can’t wait to see what’s in the kitchen at each of the band’s tour stops: “You know, I love all the stuff they do with fresh...especially in the summer, spring and fall, they go out to local farms and find fresh produce. So, that’s one of my favorite things is just to see all the fresh vegetables and stuff that gets picked up.” The band’s annual Southern Ground Music and Food Festival hits Nashville on September 21st and 22nd with Gregg Allman, Amos Lee, Edward Sharpe, David Gray and the Magnetic Zeros joining them on stage. In Charleston, South Carolina, the shows are October 20th and 21st and fans will see the Avett Brothers, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Los Lonely Boys and another surprise guest or two.

When the Olympics are over, Carrie Underwood will light up NBC’s Today Show Summer Concert Series. Though the show is over a week away, Carrie admits to some butterflies already: “When you’re on live I feel like there’s so much more pressure because you want to hit every single note, you want everything to be perfect – because you really only get one shot at it! So I get nervous for TV performances, and I don’t get nervous in concert.”

The Voice is getting fans fired up for season three, and Blake Shelton is pleased to be helping out all the contestants, winners and losers: “The good part about it is, they’re all getting so much exposure. They all can go on from the show and be several steps ahead of where they would have been. Ya know?” Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine all return as judges, and in this promo, get their action hero personas on, with a little Olympic twist at the end…



Colt Ford’s new album, “Declaration of Independence,” is out today, and it’s star studded: Kix Brooks, Montgomery Gentry, Jake Owen, Darius Rucker and Jason Aldean pitch in on songs. About the Jason Aldean collaboration, “Drivin’ Around Song,” Colt reveals, “As soon as Jason heard it he was like, ‘This is the one – this is the one that you and I’ve been suppose to do right here.’ I just think that song – is a big, big song. I mean its got ‘Dirt Road Anthem’ kind of potential. I think it will probably kind of take on a life of its own.” This isn’t the official video – that doesn’t exist yet – but a fan posted the song on YouTube, so you can hear it now if you’d like…

Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw sit atop Pollstar’s Top 20 Concert Tour list and their Brothers of the Sun tour has earned the moniker “top-grossing summer tour.” So far they’ve taken in over $4 million in ticket sales. Other country acts making the list include Lady Antebellum at #14, taking in $490,000, Miranda Lambert at #16, making $432,000, and Eric Church at #20 with $320,000 in concert earnings.

Tornado warning! Little Big Town’s fifth studio album, Tornado, will be out September 11th. Kimberly Schlapman knows the album is special and has a new energy – here’s why: “This time we decided to use the guys that travel with us on all our shows, and it gave it such a fresh spirit. Everybody was just out there having fun and just putting out the very, very best that they had, and it was so creative. I think you can hear the spontaneity and the energy and the freshness in the music.” The first single on the album, “Pontoon,” has already gone gold.

Gloriana has hit a milestone – they have their first top-5 song with “(Kissed You) Good Night.” It’s the first single from A Thousand Miles Left Behind, which drops on July 31st. Tom Gossin says the project is a hint at the band members’ personal lives: “It’s really the story of the past three years of our lives...different experiences that we went through on the road, different experiences that we were experiencing in our own personal lives and our lives with each other and we’re very, very proud of it.”

Colt Ford is out with a new song, and it features Jake Owen. “‘Back’ is me doing what I do. It’s Jake Owen doing what he does. It’s me at my best –being honest and real, and open with the fans – which is what I’ve always tried to do.” Check it out…



College football season hasn’t even cranked up yet, but Lady Antebellum has already signed to perform at the FanFest just before the Belk Bowl on December 27th in Charlotte, NC. All three Lady A’ers are huge football fans – they even watch games on their tour bus when they’re on the road.

DVR alert – September 17th at 8pm Eastern on ABC, the CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock will air. Co-hosted by Kimberly Perry and Luke Bryan, the show will feature all the best performers from the CMA Music Festival this year: Zac Brown Band, Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts and tons more…Kix Brooks, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Scotty McDreery, Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Hank Williams, Jr.

Today's Country Tidbits

Jason Aldean kicked off the summer leg of his concert tour this past weekend in Atlanta, with two sold-out shows with nearly 40,000 fans partying with him. Ludacris joined him for “Dirt Road Anthem, sending the audience into a frenzy. Here’s a peek at how it went down…



Before going on stage, most bands have a ritual. Many don’t share theirs, but Zac Brown does. “We all throw our hands in right before we go onstage—everybody in the band—and I look every single person in the eye and on the count of three, we all say, ‘Ooooh, girl!’ That’s what gets it all started. We don’t ever do it—we don’t ever have a show without doing that first.”

Last week, Jason Aldean was surprised onstage by one of his musical heroes – Tracy Lawrence. Jason and Luke Bryan were onstage, singing Tracy’s hit “Time Marches On” when Tracy sauntered out onto the stage to join them. Fans were treated to twenty minutes of the trio riffing through some of Jason’s music as well as “Sticks and Stones” and “Paint Me A Birmingham.”

Congratulations to Taylor Swift, who was given the prestigious Woman of the Year award at the Billboard Music Awards last night. Kris Kristofferson did the induction, calling her “one of the most successful artists in country music”

Tomorrow night’s Dateline is special for two reasons: first, it’s their 20th anniversary special, and second, Carrie Underwood will be featured on it. The show, which airs at 10pm Eastern, will feature Hoda Kotb and Carrie remembering 2005, when Carrie won season 4 of American Idol, then talking about what’s happened in her life since then: the Grammy awards, multi-platinum albums, record breaking tours and her hunky hubby.

Tuesday night’s Grand Ole Opry red carpet will feature not gowns and tuxedos but brogans and camo. It’s a “Salute to the Troops Red Carpet Parade” tomorrow night and the public is encouraged to show up and cheer the arrival of the Tennessee National Guard as they arrive to be honored guests. The Opry features Montgomery Gentry, Rascal Flatts, Mark Wills, Kellie Pickler and lots more country greats. The show begins at 7, and the red carpet festivities start at 6 Central.

The June issue of Men’s Health magazine hits newsstands tomorrow, and Kenny Chesney is on the cover. Kenny likens performing onstage to sprinting on a treadmill at level 15 for two hours. No wonder he’s so skinny!

This Sunday, Martina McBride will sing the National Anthem at the Indy 500.

The tweet of the day is from Colt Ford: “My Son turned 13 Today. Hug your kids tell them you love them cause it goes by way to fast. Happy Birthday Reynolds. I love you buddy”

Today's Country Tidbits

Last night Lady Antebellum played their “Rebuilding Henryville Charity Ball.” They had intended to do a prom show for a deserving high school somewhere in America, but the winning high school didn’t want a prom – they wanted a fund-raiser to help the people of Henryville, Indiana rebuild after a horrific tornado outbreak destroyed the town. Looking at the crowd that attended last night, there were some “prom-goers,” and Charles Kelley talked about his first prom experience: “I remember my first prom being very nervous, and I got all dressed up in a nice little tux, first time I ever wore a tux, and it was very exciting. I didn’t rock the top hat, but looked sharp that night.”

This Sunday on the Oprah Winfrey Network, Oprah goes to Nashville to interview Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher on a new episode of “Oprah’s Next Chapter.” This is the first time Mike and Carrie have allowed cameras into their home, and the first time the two of them have done an interview together. They talk about adjusting to married life, balancing two successful and fast-paced careers, and they also take Oprah to the piece of land where they’re planning on building their dream home. Carrie told the story of her birthday celebration and how Mike came through, big time: “I said I wanted romance, and he did that on the 9th – the day before my birthday. He had this beautiful dinner set up and got me out of the house. They like decorated our house, and there was candles everywhere. It was gorgeous.” The show will air Sunday night from 9 to 10pm Eastern time.

Miranda Lambert is on the cover of Self magazine, and in the article she discusses the 15 things she’ll never apologize for, staying slim and fame, saying, "I'm a small-town girl. When you're famous, whoever you were before comes out more. So if you were an ass, you'll be even more of an ass." There’s a great photo spread of her, too.

Gloriana will be on “The Bachelorette” on Monday night, singing their current song, “(Kissed You) Good Night.” They love doing tv, but they really love touring: “We’re looking forward to getting out on the road this summer and just touring away. One thing that has been a staple for our band since we started almost five years ago is that we haven’t stop touring since. We pretty much make it home one, two, maybe three days a month, but other than that we love being on the road – we tour year round. We’re a live band, love playing shows, so yeah.”

Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away” owns the top of the Billboard 200 for the second week in a row. It’s the third album to land at the top of the all-genre chart, but is the first time one of hers has been there for more than a week. 

Congrats to Rascal Flatts, whose new cd, “Changed,” has already been certified gold.

The tweet of the day is from Colt Ford: “Just signed some stuff for a fan at the store and met his Mama. It was cool-if was not for y’all I would not be here I love y’all THANK U!”

Today's Country Tidbits

Carrie Underwood likes kids, but she's not ready to have any yet, so she stopped by PS22 in Staten Island, New York to sing with the school chorus. The kids nailed her song, "Good Girl," and the drummer has mad skills!

Keith Urban is launching a new video feature, and episode one is online. In the first Urban Chat, he's backstage with Seal, Kelly Clarkson and David Foster.

Colt Ford had a rough night last night - he didn't see a bank of speakers, tripped and fell off the stage. He's got "a few broke ribs and hurt knee," as he put it on Twitter, but says he'll be alright. He was doing a show in Danville, Virginia on Friday and kept his date in West Virginia on Saturday night.

Saturday in Nashville it was the St. Jude Marathon, and country music (of course!) was involved. Danny Gokey was one of the runners and Rodney Atkins and Gloriana provided the post-race entertainment.

Blake Shelton performs his new single, "Over," on The Voice tonight.

Tonight, Carrie Underwood will be on the David Letterman show, and Thursday night she'll perform on American Idol. Her cd, "Blown Away," comes out tomorrow.

Happy birthday to Willie Nelson, who is 79 today. He's in Maui, where he likes to spend Monday nights with friends: “We play in Maui, I have a little hideout out in the back of the house next to the ocean out there where we play poker a lot.  Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson and a lot of my friends from Maui, we’ll get together on Monday nights or whenever and play poker.”

The tweet of the day is from John Rich: "I'm being very inappropriate right now."

Today's Country Tidbits

Last night, Brad Paisley was the halftime entertainment during the Giants/49ers game in San Francisco. The rainy performance wasn't his only brush with football over the weekend - Saturday night in Denver, Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow joined Brad onstage, duetting with him on "I'm Still a Guy." Brad quipped that they probably wouldn't be nominated for Musical Duo of the year, but they had a great time together.

What are you doing on June 9th? You might want to be in Chicago, perched in a seat at Wrigley Field. Not baseball - two big country music shows will team up for a home run of a concert. Brad Paisley's Virtual Reality tour, featuring The Band Perry and Scotty McCreery will be joined by Miranda Lambert's On Fire Tour, with Jerrod Niemann. When Chris found out about the special date, he crowed, “So cool! I mean I think that show is going to be amazing. Obviously, combining those two tours basically that’s so many acts that people get to come see. I’ve gone out there and watched a game! So the fact that we get to get out there and play, I’m really looking forward to that!”

While Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney tour together this summer, they'll be looking for a song they can duet on. They haven't found it yet, but hope that before the end of the Brothers of the Sun tour, the perfect song will find them.

When you're a country star on tour, your bus is your house. You eat there, sleep there, and should feel safe there. Lee Brice found out over the weekend that when the tour bus attacks, it can be pretty scary. He and his band were racked out on the bus outside of Toby Keith's Bar and Grill in Mesa, Arizona, when the bus caught fire. Everyone made it out safely, and the firefighters kept the fire from spreading to the equipment trailer behind the bus. The bus is a complete loss, but clothes, luggage and musical equipment in the bus was saved. Check out this amateur video of the fire:

And while we're playing with videos, here's the latest episode of DBTV, the first annual Dierks Bentley "Feel That Fire" wing-eating contest. See how it all worked out...

Garth Brooks took the stand on Friday in his lawsuit against Canadian Valley Regional Hospital. He told the jury, "I thought this was one of the great gifts my mom was going to bring to Yukon, Oklahoma," talking about the women's center he donated half a million dollars towards. It was to have been named for her, according to Garth, but according to the hospital, Garth just gave them some cash to do with as they wished. The trial continues today and is expected to wrap up and go to the jury tomorrow.

Lady Antebellum is on top of the country charts with "Own the Night," and Charles Kelley says that the trio is so proud of the effort: “More than anything with this record, I think we’re more proud of the record as a whole, you know, I think we feel like we found our sound a little bit more. You know, just keep honing in on what kind of sound we want to represent.” Their tour kicks off Friday in Oklahoma.

Colt Ford sees his star rising, as he gets ready to release his next cd, "Declaration of Independence," on May first. According to Colt, “I just did a whole west coast run right before Christmas. I had, like, 20 shows out there, and I’ve never been on the west coast. I was excited, but I was really nervous. And then I got out there and it was sold out in Denver, and two shows at the Crystal Palace sold out, and California and Oregon.”

One day, Zac Brown, Wyatt Durette and James Otto sat down to write a song. That song is "No Hurry," and James is, in his words, "blown away and utterly humbled” that it is the next Zac Brown single.

The Hag is doing better. He was released from the hospital and traveled home to California to be checked out by his own doctors. All of his January shows have been rescheduled so he'll have plenty of time to recuperate.

Kellie Pickler's new cd, "100 Proof," is available tomorrow, and she'll make the chat show rounds this week. She'll perform on Good Morning America Wednesday and the Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday.

The tweet of the day is from Lee Brice: "Appreciate y'all's concern about my bus catchin' on fire! We're very grateful that no one was hurt and that there wasn't too much damage."

Today's Country Tidbits

Sugarland played the concert for the Nobel Peace Prize winner yesterday, and shared their view of the audience from backstage at the event in a Twitter photo...

Tim McGraw's new Christmas song, "Christmas All Over the World," is available as a free download. Tim says "I'm very appreciative of the support my fans have given me over the years, and I wanted to say 'thank you' to them with this new holiday song."

Yesterday in Washington DC, The Band Perry performed during a taping of Christmas in Washington at the National Building Museum. The First Family was in attendance, and TBP performed "I'll Be Home for Christmas." The show will air this Friday night on TNT. And The Band Perry's 12 Days of Christmas giveaway starts today on their Facebook page. Good luck!

Amazon.com's Best Country Albums of 2011 list is out, and Lady Antebellum's "Own the Night" tops it. Filling out the rest of the top 5 are Luke Bryan's "Tailgates & Tanlines," Martina McBride's "Eleven," Toby Keith's "Clancy's Tavern" and Scotty McCreery's "Clear As Day." Lady Antebellum also owns the #1 slot on the Best Country Songs of 2011.

iTunes has weighed in with their end-of-year list of the best country album, song and breakthrough artist of the year. For Album, Jason Aldean takes it with "My Kinda Party," for song, Thompson Square wins with "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" and the Breakthrough Artist is Eric Church. Jason Aldean is just hanging on for the ride: “You know it kind of all started with the release of ‘Wide Open’ album and ‘She’s Country’. Everything just kind of snowballed and went right into this album, too. And with ‘Dirt Road Anthem’ and the duet with Kelly, things just kind of exploded for us over the last couple years, so it’s been fun. It’s been a fun ride.” And Thompson Square isn't resting on their laurels, either. Kiefer's dishing on their next cd: “We’ve got, you know, two or three-hundred songs to go through again and just make sure it’s all the right stuff. But, I think we got a few things good that we’re very, very happy with.”

And not to be outdone, Billboard Magazine put out their Year End Country Songs chart, and at #1 is Eli Young Band's "Crazy Girl." That's a love song, but according to the band, some people have a different idea of what the title means: “The funny thing about being on the road right now—we’ve got these ‘Crazy Girl’ bracelets—and we saw on Facebook not too long ago, there were these girls that had taken a picture of their bracelets and they called them ‘Warning Labels’ and we thought that was extremely appropriate."

National Public Radio has come out with their 50 Favorite Albums of 2011, and three country artists landed on the list: Ashton Shepherd's "Where Country Grows," The Civil Wars' "Barton Hollow" and Eric Church's "Chief."

Rascal Flatts' song, "Easy," has been certified gold.

Condolences to family, friends and fans of Bee Spears, Willie Nelson's bassist for over 40 years, who passed away last week. He fell outside of his Nashville-area home and died of exposure in the sub-freezing temperatures. Bee Spears was 62.

Congratulations to Zac Brown Band, who have yet another #1 song with "Keep Me In Mind." Is that nine #1 songs in a row for them? Why yes, yes it is! Let's run 'em down - "Chicken Fried,", "Whatever It Is," "Toes," "Highway 20 Ride," "Free," "As She's Walking Away," "Colder Weather," "Knee Deep" and now "Keep Me in Mind."

The tweet of the day is from Colt Ford, who must be feeling better: "I hope no one gets a photo of me eating these Nachos it is kinda messy I think I got Sour Cream in my ear how does that happen!"

Today's Country Tidbits

This afternoon in Charleston, the Zac Brown Band Music and Food Festival hits it's stride, and Zac and the boys are performing a rare cover song set. No word on whose music they'll do, but they love "jam band" stuff, so bet there'll be some Dave Matthews in there somewhere. ZBB has worked with lots of big stars, but who would Zac love to work with?

Country Weekly is running their annual "Sexiest Man in Country Music" contest, and all the usual suspects made the list. Who's not on it? Colt Ford, who is campaigning for write-in votes. C'mon, help a cowboy out! Voting ends today, so hurry.

The Mavericks are reuniting. Raul Malo, bassist Robert Reynolds and drummer Paul Deakin will reunite and kick off a tour at the 2012 Stagecoach Festival in California. No details past that, but the guys are pumped to be getting back together.

JoDee Messina is expecting her second child in a few months. No further details, except that Noah is looking forward to being a big brother.

Lauren Alaina is on the Ellen DeGeneres Show today, and Glen Campbell is on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight. Ronnie Dunn sings the National Anthem at game three of the World Series tomorrow night, and Clay Walker is singing the National Anthem at the Saints/Colts game Sunday night on NBC.

Dwight Yoakam celebrates his birthday on Sunday.

The tweet of the day is from Brad Paisley: "I hope they find a suitable piece of ground to bury Gadhafi, so he can finally do some good in this world...like fertilization."

Today's Country Tidbits

Brad Paisley celebrated two #1 songs, and he celebrated at the Opry, the first time a #1 party was ever held at the country music institution. The songs were "Old Alabama" and "Remind Me" and the celebration was yesterday afternoon, before Brad Paisley took the stage to perform at the Opry. Alabama was on hand for the celebration, but Carrie's schedule kept her from being able to attend.

If you went to my Facebook page yesterday, you saw Brad Paisley, Southpark style. Here's the scoop - through a friend of a family member, he was invited to tour the Southpark Studios in Culver City, California. They gave him the red-carpet treatment, he got to be the voice of one of the kids on the show, and according to Brad, “I went in and cut a couple voices of little kids. I’m just one of the kids in the background. But, my name is in the credits, you know? And, I’m floored. I can’t believe I got to do that.”

Blake Shelton is in LA as season two of The Voice begins taping. Hey Los Angeles...watch out!

It's tour-announcing time, looks like, as another major winter tour rolls out its schedule. Miranda Lambert kicks off her "On Fire" tour January 12th in Illinois, taking Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann along for the ride. Here are the tour stops - dates still are being worked out.

Rockford, IL

La Crosse, WI

Fargo, ND

Charlotte, NC

Lexington, KY

Greensboro, NC

Baltimore, MD

Charlottesville, VA

East Rutherford, NJ

Huntsville, AL

Tallahassee, FL

Orlando, FL

Amherst, MA

Hershey, PA

Youngstown, OH

Macon, GA

North Charleston, SC

Fayetteville, NC

Sale Lake City, UT

Broomfield, CO

Kearney, NE

Toledo, OH

Saginaw, MI

Louisville, KY

Charleston, WV

Tulsa, OK

Little Rock, AR

Wichita, KS

Columbia, MO

Milwaukee, WI

Minneapolis, MN

Green Bay, WI

Fresno, CA

Mountain View, CA

Monday night in Texas, the stars came out to raise over half a million dollars for the families who lost everything in the summer Texas wildfires. George Strait, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Dixie Chicks and Asleep at the Wheel all showed up to perform, with Willie and Lyle actually cancelling shows in order to do the benefit concert. The show was in Austin, and if you're like me, we're both hoping that someone taped it and will issue it on DVD.

Dierks Bentley trots out his patriotic side for the video to his new song, "Home." The song is a tribute to America and the visuals for the video support the tribute beautifully.

Dierks Bentley is proud that he's raised over $2 million for childrens hospitals with his Miles & Music for Kids, but says it's not all about the money. “I don’t want this thing to get out of control where it becomes all about money, money, money, money, money and, like, how can we make it be that? ‘Cause if that’s the case, we’ll just do a big live show and just give the money away. I want it to be about community, I want it to be about the families, and this day to be fun for everyone, at the same time we’re raising awareness and raising money for the children’s hospital. So, it’s a, it’s a bigger picture than just trying to, the numbers, you know?”

More performers have been announced for the 45th Annual CMA Award show on November 9th. New Artist nominees Luke Bryan, Chris Young, Eric Church and The Band Perry will all hit the stage.

Rapper Carlton Zeus is claiming that Toby Keith stole his song. In this video, he doesn't mince words:

If you want to see for yourself, check out Carlton's video for "Sharpie Solo." I'll help you out, though...the songs are nowhere near alike, and red Solo cups have starred at many, many parties, so I doubt Carlton has a legal leg to stand on.

Need Toby's video for comparison? Right after the ad runs is Toby's video for "Red Solo Cup."

And speaking of partying and adult fillers for red Solo cups, Colt Ford's "Goodtime Moonshine" and "Goodtime Vodka" hit stores in Georgia and Tennessee today. He had the release party last night in Buckhead.

Taylor Swift is on the Ellen DeGeneres Show today and Scotty McCreery sings the National Anthem at the World Series game tonight.

Happy birthday to Jeannie C. Riley, who turns 66 today.

The tweet of the day is from Miranda Lambert: "I'm in the Deer stand and so is Blake. he keeps telling me he can see me from his and to b still. I can't see him tho. Creepy stalker :)"

Today's Country Tidbits

The second annual American Country Awards nominees were announced yesterday. Jason Aldean and Zac Brown Band have eight nominations each, Thompson Square has seven and The Band Perry and Taylor Swift each have six. The awards will be handed out December 5th, and the show will air live from Las Vegas on FOX. Fans can vote for their favorites now, with voting ending for all categories except Artist of the Year, ending on November 11th. Fans have until December 2nd to vote for Artist of the Year. Here's the list of nominees:

Artist of the Year

Jason Aldean

Kenny Chesney

Lady Antebellum

Taylor Swift

Zac Brown Band

Artist of the Year: Male

Jason Aldean

Luke Bryan

Kenny Chesney

Brad Paisley

Blake Shelton

Artist of the Year: Female

Sara Evans

Alison Krauss

Miranda Lambert

Taylor Swift

Carrie Underwood

Artist of the Year: Duo or Group

The Band Perry

Lady Antebellum

Rascal Flatts

Sugarland

Zac Brown Band

Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist

Eric Church

Eli Young Band

Justin Moore

Jake Owen

Chris Young

Artist of the Year: New Artist

The Band Perry

Scotty McCreery

Jerrod Niemann

Pistol Annies

Thompson Square

Album of the Year

Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”

Kenny Chesney, “Hemingway’s Whiskey”

Brad Paisley, “This Is Country Music”

Taylor Swift, “Speak Now”

Keith Urban, “Get Closer”

Zac Brown Band, “You Get What You Give”

Single of the Year

Billy Currington, “Let Me Down Easy”

Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”

Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Chris Young, “Voices”

Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Single of the Year: Male

Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”

Luke Bryan, “Someone Else Calling You Baby”

Billy Currington, “Let Me Down Easy”

Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”

Chris Young, “Voices”

Single of the Year: Female

Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”

Miranda Lambert, “Heart Like Mine”

Reba, “Turn On The Radio”

Taylor Swift, “Mean”

Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”

Single of the Year: Duo or Group

The Band Perry, “You Lie”

Rascal Flatts, “Why Wait”

Sugarland, “Stuck Like Glue”

Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Zac Brown Band, “Colder Weather”

Single of the Year: New Artist

The Band Perry, “You Lie”

Craig Campbell, “Family Man”

The JaneDear Girls, “Wildflower”

Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”

Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Single of the Year: Vocal Collaboration

Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”

Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You and Tequila”

Brad Paisley with Alabama, “Old Alabama”

Zac Brown Band with Jimmy Buffet, “Knee Deep”

Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Touring Headline Act of the Year

Jason Aldean

Kenny Chesney

Toby Keith

Tim McGraw

Brad Paisley

Rascal Flatts

George Strait

Taylor Swift

Carrie Underwood

Keith Urban

Music Video of the Year

Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”

Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”

Blake Shelton, “Who Are you When I’m Not Looking”

Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Josh Turner, “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”

Music Video: Male

Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”

Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”

Blake Shelton, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”

Josh Turner, “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”

Keith Urban, “Put You In A Song”

Music Video: Female

Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”

Reba, “Turn On The Radio”

Ashton Shepherd, “Look It Up”

Taylor Swift, “Back To December”

Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”

Music Video: Duo, Group or Collaboration

Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”

The Band Perry, “You Lie”

Lady Antebellum, “Hello World”

Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Music Video: New Artist

The Band Perry, “You Lie”

Craig Campbell, “Family Man”

Brett Eldredge, “Raymond”

Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”

Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Rascal Flatts is releasing a live cd on November 8th. "The Best of Rascal Flatts Live" will include ten tracks recorded at venues all over the US. Songs include "What Hurts the Most," "Life is a Highway" and "Bob that Head." The encore includes a cover of Edgar Winter's "Free Ride."

Taylor Swift wants to help struggling libraries and also to encourage kids to read, so she donated 6,000 books to the library system in Reading, Pennsylvania, a struggling little city about 50 miles outside of Philadelphia. Taylor didn't personally make the donation, but everyone will know when they check out one of the books she donated - they're marked with a white star on the spine and a sticker inside.

Don't know when she finds time to do it, but Taylor Swift has recorded 25 songs for her next album. Will it be a double-disc? No word on how many of those songs will make the cut, or when the project will be released. It'll probably be at least a year.

Taylor was on ABC's Good Morning America yesterday morning, and a 14-year-old version of her was featured in the segment. Enjoy!

Sad news in the Charlie Daniels Band - longtime member, musician and songwriter, Joel "Taz" DiGregorio was killed in a single-car crash outside of Nashville while on the way to a show in Georgia. Taz played keyboards and sang harmonies for over 40 years and was co-writer with Charlie Daniels on some of their biggest hits, including "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Concerts yesterday and tomorrow night have been canceled. Taz was 67.

Dierks Bentley's 6th Annual Miles & Music for Kids event hits Nashville this weekend, and Dierks might need to do a little shopping before the ride. “I have like, the ‘I’m too cool for a helmet’ helmet, like the kinda like fake helmet thing, you know? But, I think I’m gonna invest in the like the real, real deal, get the face…maybe not the face mask but just a little bit more protection.” The ride starts in Columbia, Tennessee tomorrow and ends with a concert featuring Dierks, Colt Ford, Josh Thompson and the Eli Young Band. Dierks has raised over a million and a half dollars for children's hospitals around the country with these day-long events.

Martina McBride is on Good Morning America this morning. Sara Evans sings the National Anthem at tomorrow's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on ABC.

The tweet of the day is from Colt Ford: "Waffle House in Ala lord have mercy this Patty Melt is not Fat Free I don't think. Oh well don't wanna hurt cooks feelings so I will eat it!"

Today's Country Tidbits

The NFL is going pink during October for breast cancer awareness month, and Martina McBride is kicking things off by performing the National Anthem before the Baltimore Ravens - New York Jets game on Sunday. Watch for lots of pink on the players, the field and on Martina.

Now we know what's up with Steel Magnolia's Joshua Scott Jones. The duo had to cancel last week's shows, and Megan Linsey, the other half of Steel Magnolia and Josh's fiance, resumed their tour over the weekend with solo concerts. Joshua posted on the band's website, “God has been on my heart to announce and make public that I have entered a rehabilitation and treatment facility to address issues related to alcohol and substance abuse. Hundreds of thousands of people in the world struggle with these battles daily, therefore I am sincerely grateful for all thoughts and prayers at this very poignant juncture in my life and career. I would also like to thank my family, friends, record label and management team for being so supportive and having an active hand in my recovery process.”

Dierks Bentley was on the Jimmy Fallon show last night, performing Pink Floyd's classic song, "Wish You Were Here." He was excited to be part of the project, saying “Country music’s 90-percent of what I listen to, and always really have since I’ve been about 17 years old, but, I mean, Pink Floyd’s, ya know, one of the biggest rock bands of all time. When you hear that Pearl Jam’s going to do it. A buddy of mine plays guitar for Pearl Jam. A buddy of mine plays for Foo Fighters. Those are bands I really think are great. To be on the same, ya know, same show and part of the same deal they’re all doing was kind of a no-brainer.” Missed it? Here you go...

Congratulations to Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, who won the International Bluegrass Music Association's Entertainer of the Year award last night in Nashville. During his acceptance speech, Steve said, “I want to thank all the other nominees ... for losing." The award is given to the entertainer who does the best job of taking bluegrass to a wider audience. After the show, Steve said to reporters, “It really means a lot, sort of like winning two Oscars. It’s something we work very hard at and I kind of started from scratch. I mean I’ve been playing banjo for 50 years, but performing in a band I’ve never done. I’ve done it for about two years ... You know, the hardest part was talking and tuning.”

LeAnn Rimes was on the Ellen DeGeneres Show yesterday, talking about eating disorders, affairs and her new cd.

Tim McGraw's next movie, "Dirty Girl," comes out October 7th. He plays the estranged dad of a girl who's trying to find him. According to Tim, "I'm only in a small part in the movie, but it's a pretty pivotal part ... It's about a girl's journey to find her dad ... It's something that's dear to me, and something I related to."

Taylor Swift has some perfume coming out. Check out the commercial for "Wonderstruck."

Are you a fan of college football? Then you need Colt Ford's "Tailgate: College Football Versions, Vol. II" Colt drops college and university names into his game-day song, "Tailgate."

Lady Antebellum is the musical guest on Saturday Night Live tomorrow night and CBS Sunday Morning. Martina McBride sings the National Anthem before the Jets/Ravens game on NBC Sunday. Scotty McCreery is on the Today show Monday morning.

Happy birthday to Marty Stuart, who turns 53 today, and Eddie Montgomery, who is 48. Will he party? What do you think? “You know, shoot, anywhere me and ‘T’ try to show up, we try to make it a party. So, you know, cause it’s…that’s what it’s all about man is livin’ life.”

The tweet of the day is from Blake Shelton: "I'm so hung over right now I just spent 10 minutes trying to turn down the volume on my coffee maker..."

Today's Country Tidbits

Sunday night when the President went on TV to let us know that Osama bin Laden had been taken out, Rascal Flatts was on stage at the Stagecoach Festival in California. A member of their crew told them, and Jay DeMarcus announced the news to the 50,000 fans. He said, “I hope I speak for everyone here when I say, ‘Osama bin Laden, I hope you rest in pieces.’” The crowd erupted in cheers of "USA, USA!"

Tennessean.com has a photo gallery from the Stagecoach Festival for your viewing pleasure.

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert have recorded another duet. The song is called "Red River Blue" and was written by Ray Stephenson and Buddy Owens. No one is quite sure who's album it will land on at this point. Their last duet, "Draggin' the River," was on a Blake Shelton album. Since both Blake and Miranda are working on new cds now, it could be either one.

Told you yesterday that Lady Antebellum's next single is "Just a Kiss" and that they'll do it Thursday night on American Idol. If you want to hear it right now, you can. You can also buy the song at Wal-Mart stores and on iTunes.

Taylor Swift will play the closing concert at the 2011 CMA Music Festival. She'll take over the LP Field stage on June 12th. And a change was made to the previously announced schedule - Reba is now performing Friday night, not Saturday night.

Congratulations to Sara Evans, who has the #1 country song this week with "A Little Bit Stronger." It's her 5th #1 song.

Jake Owen's "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" gets "drunked" in a Nashville recording studio...

Condolences to Amy Grant, whose Mother, Gloria Dean Napier Grant, passed away on Saturday. She was 80.

There's a new Randy Travis album out today, exclusively at Cracker Barrel. It's a 12-song collection of previously unreleased tracks and solid hits, including "Forever and Ever, Amen," "1982" and "Three Wooden Crosses." Proceeds from the sale of the cd benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. If you can't stop by a Cracker Barrel, you can buy the album online at their site.

Colt Ford's new cd, "Every Chance I Get," is out today, featuring performances by Tim McGraw, Eric Church, Craig Morgan and Josh Thompson.

Shania Twain is on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" today, and Blake Shelton is on "The Voice" tonight.

Happy birthday to Eric Church, who celebrates his 34th birthday today, and also the 5th anniversary of signing his first major record deal. Cactus Moser of Highway 101 is 54 and John Hopkins of Zac Brown Band is 40.

The tweet of the day is from James Otto: "So Pakistan had no idea Bin Laden was in the Country? I'm callin B.S. & I don't mean @blakeshelton"

Today's Country Tidbits

Reba is just blown away by how far her Dad, Clark McEntire, has come since suffering a debilitating stroke in March. Doctors didn't expect him to make it, and according to Reba, “I’m not kidding, we had planned the funeral three times. We’ve selected songs, we’ve picked out where he’s going to be buried, and now he’s just done a complete turnaround.” She knew he was out of the woods when she called her Mom at the rehabilitation facility where her Dad is receiving treatment, to tell her about her son's Grand-Am race in Alabama. Reba's Mom told her to tell it to her Dad, and held the phone for him. “I talked and I talked and pretty soon I heard him clear his throat, and I stopped talking and he said, ‘Well, does it look like he’s got a chance?’ I almost dropped the phone. He’s lucid. He knows what he’s talking about, and he asked me a question. I said, ‘Well yeah, Daddy, he might have a chance.’ And he said, ‘Well alright, tell him to drive fast and safe.’” Reba's got her fingers crossed that he'll be able to make the trip to Nashville this October to see her inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Darius Rucker must be the neighborhood's most fun Dad. Not only do his kids get to go to his Monday After the Masters charity golf tournament if they want to, they just might get a trip to Disney World soon. “My kids have the deal, where if I get a number one, they get a trip to Disney. And I forgot that I told him that, and my son says to me the other day, ‘Daddy, where’s, how’s ‘This’ doing on the charts?’ And I’m like ‘Ahh, it’s doing good buddy, its number five.’ He’s like, ‘Yessss!’ I was like, ‘What?!’ He was like, ‘Disney World!’ I said, ‘Not yet, buddy!” The way "This" is racing up the charts, it could happen very soon!

Gary Busey was fired last night on The Celebrity Apprentice, after he led the men's Team Backbone to a loss in the Omaha Steak challenge. According to John Rich, who is one of three men left on the show, “The stuff that Gary Busey does off-camera is worse than what he does on camera. He tries to make you crazy and he does make you a little bit crazy.”

Rascal Flatts is being sued by their former mamagement team at Turner Nichols. The suit was filed early last week, seeking continued commission on income from deals negotiated while Turner Nichols was representing Rascal Flatts. A touring agreement which runs through 2013 was negotiated, and the managment company wants royalties from the ABC television special, DVD sales and proceeds from recording agreements and tour sponsorships. Publicist Jessie Schmidt had this two-sentence response from Rascal Flatts: "We are disappointed they have chosen to file, as we had hoped to address these issues privately. However, we hope that this can be resolved amicably."

Joe Nichols played a charity concert at Billy Bob's Texas on Saturday, raising money for the Red Cross relief efforts in Japan. The $10 per ticket show was sold out, and additional donations poured in from attendees. The day before that show, he performed his latest single, "The Shape I'm In," at a USO show in Washington DC. He's pledged all of the profits from that song to the USO to help soldiers returning from the war with broken bodies and minds. The show in DC raised nearly $575,000 for the USO of Metropolitan Washington.

Joe's wasn't the only big show in Texas over the weekend. Jewel threw a free concert for her fans, who came from as far away as Australia, France and Great Britian. For the fans who couldn't be there, she streamed the show live on her website, and also will have cds of the show available on her site. She played for three and a half hours, pulling out album cuts, some of which she had never performed live before. TexFest, as the show was called, was her way of thanking her fans for their support, whether or not her songs land high on the charts.

David Nail was busy doing a show and Randy Owen showed up to sing along...

Danny Gokey, his brother Charles and sister Angie and friend Ruben Burgos had a little a capella fun with doo wop.

Colt Ford has a new tv show on the Outdoor Channel called Mud Slingers. They visit Trucks Gone Wild events across the country, filming the action and Colt busts out a song or two.

Toby Keith will play two songs tomorrow night on "Dancing With the Stars."

The tweet of the day is from Brad Paisley: "Not sure about this new @NASCAR tandem racing at Talladega. I haven't seen this much adolescent bumping and grinding since prom."

Today's Country Tidbits

Jimmy Buffett's big free concert today has been postponed until the 11th of July, but that didn't stop the Parrothead King from doing a show anyway. He put on an impromptu show last night, playing for several hundred fans. LuLu's Restaurant in Gulf Shores, owned by his sister Lucy Buffett, was the happening place as hundreds of people jammed in to sing along to all of Jimmy's crowd favorites. When he sang "Margaritaville," he changed the lyric to "It's all BP's fault," much to the delight of the crowd. The free concert on July 11th will air on CMT at 7pm eastern, and features Zac Brown and other special guests.

Kenny Chesney, who won't be at the rescheduled show, is featured in the current issue of "Men's Journal" as part of their how to do summer right guide. Kenny's contribution is his four-part plan of how to "Party Like Kenny Chesney."

Congrats to Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus and his wife Allison, who are expecting their first child. Jay says, "I am confident Ali will be a wonderful mother because she has done an incredible job raising me over the past six years." The baby is due in January of 2011.

Jimmy Wayne is still walking across America to raise awareness of the problems teens in foster care face when they become 18. Yesterday he crossed into Arizona, so his goal of Phoenix will happen in the next two weeks. He's been walking since January first, and has weathered all that Mother Nature has to throw at him: snow, ice and freezing temperatures, heavy rain storms, rattlesnakes and now 100+ temperatures in the desert. In his 1700 mile trek, he has about 250 miles to go.

Travis Tritt has decided to launch his own record label for his upcoming cd. He says he's planning to keep it just for his own music, and he won't be signing other artists. No name has been settled on yet, nor is there a release date for his new project.

Colt Ford has put a Twilight Saga spin on his video for "Chicken and Biscuits."

This Saturday morning is the premier of Craig Morgan's new series on The Outdoor Channel. "Craig Morgan: All Access outdoors" follows Craig's life on tour and in the wilderness. Catch it at 11am eastern time.

Also on Saturday, Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley will be part of a CBS special, "David Feherty's American Journey." The show airs at 2pm eastern, and follows the very funny golf commentator as he explores his new country. David became an American citizen about a month ago.

The tweet of the day comes from James Otto, who is Jay DeMarcus' brother-in-law: "@JayDeMarcus & @allisondemarcus announced they're expecting a baby this year which means I'm gonna not only be a dad this year but an uncle"